Tribute to Tony Gwynn

Remembering the career of Mr. Padre, Tony Gwynn

MLB Features

Tony Gwynn, a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee, died on Monday at age 54. Gwynn, who spent his entire career with the San Diego Padres, was a beloved figure whose passing will be mourned.

As a player, Gwynn will be most remembered for his prowess with a bat. He hit better than .300 for 19 consecutive seasons, a streak only surpassed by Ty Cobb. Perhaps more impressive, Gwynn totaled 434 career strikeouts in 9,288 at-bats, meaning he struck out just 4.7 percent of the time. By comparison, Miguel Cabrera has recorded 1,246 strikeouts in 6,471 at-bats, a rate of 19.3 percent. Ichiro Suzuki has 899 strikeouts in 8,727 at-bats, a 10.3 percent rate.

Gwynn won the National League batting title on eight occasions, the first in 1984 at the age of 24 and the last in 1997, at age 37. Gwynn's highest batting average occurred during the lockout-shortened season of 1994, when he batted .394 with a .454 on-base percentage. The strike forced the cancellation of 47 games and may have cost Gwynn a chance to be the first .400 hitter since Ted Williams.

Tony Gwynn's Batting Titles

Year

BA

OBP

Runs

Hits

RBI

HR

SB

1984

.351

.410

88

213

71

5

33

1987

.370

.447

119

218

54

7

56

1988

.313

.373

64

163

70

7

26

1989

.336

.389

82

203

62

4

40

1994

.394

.454

79

165

64

12

5

1995

.368

.404

82

197

90

9

17

1996

.353

.400

67

159

50

3

11

1997

.372

.409

97

220

119

17

12

During Gwynn's 20 seasons, the Padres won three division titles and advanced to the World Series twice. In 1984, the Padres lost the Fall Classic in five games to the Detroit Tigers. The next World Series trip occurred 14 years later, when the New York Yankees swept the Padres in 1998. Gwynn was the only Padres player to participate in both postseason runs.